Part 11 – The History of Masjid Nabwī

Slide 1

‫اﻟﺤﻤﺪ ﻻ@ رب اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﯿﻦ واﻟﺼﻠﻮاة واﻟﺴﻼم ﻋﻠﻲ ﺳﯿﺪ اﻟﻤﺮﺳﻠﯿﻦ و ﻋﻠﻲ ال ه و ﺻﺤﺒﮫ اﺟﻤﻌﯿﻦ اﻣﺎ ﺑﻌﺪ‬
‫رب اﺷﺮح ﻟﻲ ﺻﺪري وﯾﺴﺮﻟﻲ اﻣﺮي واﺣﻠﻞ ﻋﻘﺪة ﻣﻦ ﻟﺴﺎﻧﻲ ﯾﻔﻘﮭﻮ ا ﻗﻮﻟﻲ‬
‫ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻚ ﻻ ﻋﻠﻢ ﻟﻨﺎ اﻻ ﻣﺎ ﻋﻠﻤﺘﻨﺎ أﻧﻚ اﻧﺖ اﻟﻌﻠﯿﻢ اﻟﺤﻜﯿﻢ‬
Slide 2

My Dear respected elders and brothers and sisters, Assalāmu ꜤAlaykum Wa Raḥmatullāhi Wa
Barakatuhu

Slide 3 - Recap

Slide 4 – recap 1

In the last session we started with the Rasūlullāh  leaving Qubā. He was on the final
part of his journey from Makkah to Madīnah.

On the way he led his first Jum’a Ṣalāt and gave his first Khuṭbah for Jum’a Ṣalāt as well.

The camel he was riding Qaswa, had been commanded by Allāh  and stopped in a place
which was owned by 2 orphans from the Bani An-Najjār, the land purchased by Rasūlullāh
 and became the eventual location of Masjid Nabwī as we shall see later on.

Slide 5 – recap 2

Rasūlullāh  stayed as a guest in the house of Abu Ayyūb Al-Anṣāri while the Masjid and
his dwellings were being built.

We also talked about how many Jewish Scholars accepted Islam, including ꜤAbdulllāh bin Salām
. We covered the famous Ḥadīth when Rasūlullāh  entered Madīnah and gave the
advice.
Slide 6 - Madīnah

The original place where Rasūlullāh  camel had set down in Madīnah belonged to 2
orphans from the Bani An-Najjār tribe.

Slide 7 – Masjid Nabwī

The land was used to dry dates.

Rasūlullāh  enquired as to whom does this land belong to. He found out that it belonged
to Sahal And Suhayl .

Rasūlullāh  called them so he could purchase the land off them, their paternal uncle
who looked after them also came. Sahl & Suhayl  said that they give this land to the
Rasūlullāh  for no charge at all. Rasūlullāh , did not accept this, instead he
purchased the land from them.

According to Zuhri, Rasūlullāh  told Abu Bakr  to pay for the land and in another
narration Abu Bakr  gave 10 dirhams for the land.

Slide 8 – The clearing of the land

Rasūlullāh  ordered the date palms which were on the land to be cut down.

He then ordered some bricks to be built. Rasūlullāh  worked with the Saḥābah 
and carried the bricks himself. While he was carrying the bricks he would recite

‫ھﺬااﻟﺤﻤﺎل ﻻ ﺣﻤﺎل ﺧﯿﺒﺮ ھﺬا اﺑﺮ رﺑﻨﺎ وأطﮭﺮ‬

This burden is not the burden of Khaybar (meaning the date palms), this burden is the best our
lord and the most pure.
Sometimes he would recite

‫اﻟﻠﮭﻢ ان اﻻﺟﺮ اﺟﺮاﻻﺧﺮة ﻓﺎرﺣﻢ اﻻﻧﺼﺎرواﻟﻤﮭﺎﺟﺮة‬

Oh Allāh, indeed the reality of reward is the reward of the hereafter, so have mercy on the Anṣār
and the Muhājirīn.

‫اﻟﻠﮭﻢ ﻻ ﺧﯿﺮ اﻻ ﺧﯿﺮاﻻﺧﺮة ﻓﺎﻧﺼﺮ اﻻﻧﺼﺎر واﻟﻤﮭﺎﺟﺮة‬

Oh Allāh, indeed the reality of goodness is the goodness of the hereafter, so help the Anṣār and
the Muhājirīn.

The Saḥābah  used to say:

‫ﻟﺌﻦ ﻗﻌﺪﻧﺎواﻟﻨﺒﻲ ﯾﻌﻤﻞ ﻟﺬاك ﻣﻦ اﻟﻌﻤﻞ اﻟﻤﻀﻠﻞ‬

If we sit down and Rasūlullāh  keeps on working, then our action (meaning sitting) will
be a bad action

Slide 9 – The Masjid

The Masjid was a model of simplicity. The walls were made of unbaked bricks,

The pillars were date palms

And the roof of the Masjid was covered with the branches from the date palms.

When it used to rain, the water used to get inside the Masjid. After this the roof was made
waterproof.

Slide 10 – The Size of the Masjid

The original Masjid was 100 gaz long and 100 gaz wide. One gaz, was equivalent to between 27
and 37 inches which if we average out is 32 inches, just under a yard. So the Masjid was
approximately just less than 100 yards wide and 100 yards long.

The Qiblah was facing Baitul Maqdis and 3 doors were placed in the Masjid.

One door was on the back of the Masjid, where the Qiblah is now, one door was on the east, where
Bābur Raḥma is now and one door was on the west which is now Bāb Jibrīl where Rasūlullāh
 used to go in and out of.

Slide 11 – The First Masjid – size

Now how large was the Original Masjid in comparison to Todays Masjid ?

Slide 12 - Zoom

This Plan view shows us how large the Masjid is today.

Slide 13 – Baqi and the Masjid

In this slide we can see the size of the Masjid in comparison to Jannatul Baqi, which is where
many Ṣaḥābah are buried including ꜤUthmān  and the daughters of Rasūlullāh .

Slide 14 – The Gates

In this Slide we can see the gates of the Present day Masjid, Bābus Salām on the left and Bāb Jibrīl
on the right.

Slide 15 – Stage 1

When the Masjid was initially built, this is the size of the masjid in comparison to the masjid
today. The maroon rectangle square shows the location of the first Masjid.

Slide 16 - Zoom

You can see that the dome is outside of the Original Masjid as the place where Rasūlullāh
 is buried, the Rawḍah was part of his dwellings. We shall talk more about his Hujrā or
dwelling later Inshā’Allāh.

Slide 17 – Rasūlullāh  dwellings

Once the Masjid had been built, the foundation for the accommodation of the wives of the
Rasūlullāh  was put down.

At the time, 2 dwellings were made, one for Sayyidah Saudah  and one for Sayyidah ꜤĀ’ishah
 RA. The rest of the dwellings were made as and when they were required.

Ḥāritha Bin NuꜤmān  used to own some houses which were next to the Masjid. When
Rasūlullāh  required them, they were given to him. One after another, all of the houses,
were given to Rasūlullāh .

Slide 18 – The Hujrāt

The dwellings were made from large branches from the date palm, some were made from
unbaked bricks. The door used to be covered with a blanket or a piece of cloth. They were simple
dwellings showing no inclination to the worldly desires. Most of the time there would not even
be candles lit in the rooms at night time.

This is an artist’s impression of what Masjid Nabwī used to look like and the houses of Rasūlullāh
. We have to remember that at that time, the Masjid was facing Masjidul Aqsa so the
houses were located to the right of the Qiblah.

Slide 19 – Rasūlullāh  calls for his family.

Rasūlullāh  still had some of the members of his family in Makkah. He sent Zayd bin
Ḥāritha and Abu RafeꜤ  to Makkah so they could bring back the 2 daughters of Rasūlullāh
, Faṭimah and Umme Kulthūm  as well as the wife of Rasūlullāh , Saudah
.

Abu Bakr  also sent his son ꜤAbdullāh with them so he can bring back his family, ꜤĀ’ishah,
Asma, Umme Rumān and ꜤAbdul Raḥmān .

When Zayd  arrived with Rasūlullāh  family from Makkah, Rasūlullāh 

moved from his temporary residence at Abu Ayyūb Al-Anṣāri’s house to the new dwelling which
had been prepared next to the Masjid.

Slide 20 – The Rawḍah

In this slide you can see the locations of where the living quarters of Rasūlullāh  wives
were and some of the Saḥābah . This image has been recreated from the book Atlas
Tareekhi – Seerate Rasul by Sami bin ꜤAbdullāh bin Ahmed Al Maglūth.

Slide 21

Let’s start by looking at the South Eastern side of the Masjid, the Qiblah here would be facing the
KaꜤbah.

This is the Hujrah of Saudah .

Slide 22 – South East

Then this is where ꜤĀ’ishah  used to live

Then Ḥafsah the daughter of ꜤUmar 

Then Maymūnah and Zaynab Bint Khuzaymah . In the book from which I got this Image
from, there were 2 rooms with the name Zaynab bint Khuzaymah so either one of these could
have been hers and the other belonged to Maymūnah  or vice versa.

Then we have Zaynab bint Jahsh 

Slide 23 – North Side

Now on the northern side, which is towards the back of the Masjid, there were rooms for

Ṣafiyyah 

Ramlah or Umme Ḥabībah , the daughter of Abu Sufyān 

And Juwayriyyah.

Slide 24 – Sahābah

Some of the close companions of Rasūlullāh  also had quarters in the vicinity of the
Masjid.

ꜤAlī  who was married to Rasūlullāh  daughter Faṭimah 

Then JaꜤfar  the son of Abu Ṭālib, so Rasūlullāh  cousin.

The Abbāss , the uncle of Rasūlullāh 

The SaꜤad bin Abi Waqās 

And Abu Bakr Sidīq .

You can also see the 2 doors, Bāb ꜤUthmān to the East and Bāb Ar-Raḥmah on the West.

There was a special place for the Ahle Ṣuffah. Who were those people who had no home, no
shelter, no one to look after them. So Rasūlullāh  even gave them a special place to stay.
And one of the most famous Saḥābah  was also from them, Abu Hurayrah .

You can also see where Rasūlullāh  daughter Faṭemah  used to stay.

Slide 25 – The people of Ṣuffa

There is a Ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhāri narrated by Abu Hurayrah  which tells us a little
about the state of the People of Ṣuffa.

He narrates that
By Allāh except Whom none has the right to- be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (sleep) on
the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone over
my belly because of hunger.

One day I sat by the way from where they (the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and his companions) used to come out.
When Abu Bakr  passed by, I asked him about a Verse from Allāh's Book and I asked him
only that he might satisfy my hunger, but he passed by and did not do so. Then ꜤUmar passed by
me and I asked him about a Verse from Allāh's Book, and I asked him only that he might satisfy
my hunger, but he passed by without doing so.

Finally Abul-Qāsim (the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬passed by me and he smiled when he saw me, for he knew
what was in my heart and on my face. He said, "O Aba Hirr (Abu Huraira)!" I replied, "Labbaik, O
Allāh's Messenger (‫ "!)ﷺ‬He said to me, "Follow me." He left and I followed him. Then he entered
the house and I asked permission to enter and was admitted. He found milk in a bowl and said,
"From where is this milk?" They said, "It has been presented to you by such-and-such man (or by
such and such woman)." He said, "O Aba Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Allāh's Messenger (‫ "!)ﷺ‬He said,
"Go and call the people of Ṣuffa to me."

These people of Ṣuffa were the guests of Islam who had no families, nor money, nor anybody to
depend upon, and whenever an object of charity was brought to the Prophet, he would send it to
them and would not take anything from it, and whenever any present was given to him, he used
to send some for them and take some of it for himself.

(So you can see from this that Rasūlullāh  never took charity)

The order of the Prophet upset me, and I said to myself, "How will this little milk be enough for
the people of As-Ṣuffa? I thought I was more entitled to drink from that milk in order to
strengthen myself", but behold! The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬came to order me to give that milk to them. I
wondered what will remain of that milk for me, but anyway, I could not but obey Allah and His
Apostle so I went to the people of As-Ṣuffa and called them, and they came and asked the
Prophet's permission to enter. They were admitted and took their seats in the house.

The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, "O Aba-Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Allāh's Messenger (‫ "!)ﷺ‬He said, "Take it
and give it to them." So I took the bowl (of milk) and started giving it to one man who would drink
his fill and return it to me, whereupon I would give it to another man who, in his turn, would
drink his fill and return it to me, and I would then offer it to another man who would drink his fill
and return it to me. Finally, after the whole group had drunk their fill, I reached the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬
who took the bowl and put it on his hand, looked at me and smiled and said. "O Aba Hirr!" I
replied, "Labbaik, O Allāh's Messenger (‫ "!)ﷺ‬He said, "There remain you and I." I said, "You have
said the truth, O Allāh's Messenger (‫ "!)ﷺ‬He said, "Sit down and drink." I sat down and drank. He
said, "Drink," and I drank. He kept on telling me repeatedly to drink, till I said, "No. by Allāh Who
sent you with the Truth, I have no space for it (in my stomach)." He said, "Hand it over to me."
When I gave him the bowl, he praised Allāh and pronounced Allāh's Name on it and drank the
remaining milk.

What an amazing miracle of Rasūlullāh .

Slide 26 – After the Revelation

Now let’s go back to the history of Masjid Nabwī.

The commandment then came, 16 or 17 months after Hijri to now face the KaꜤbah.

Allāh  says in Sūrah Al-Baqarah Verse 144

We have certainly seen the turning of your face (O Muḥammad ) toward the heaven

And we will surely turn you towards a Qiblah which you will be leased with

So turn your face towards Masjid Al-Ḥarām.

Insha’Allāh we shall go through this in more detail in the next session, but I just wanted to
mention it here so you get an idea of how many times the Qiblah was Changed.

Slide 27 – The Qiblah Changes

The door to the back was now closed as this was now the Qiblah wall, and a new door was made to
the new back of the Masjid.

Originally the dwellings of Rasūlullāh  were to the rear right of the Masjid, but now the
Qiblah had changed, they were located to the front left hand side of the Masjid
Slide 28 – Built twice in the time of Rasūlullāh 

The second time the Masjid was built was in the 7th year of Hijri after the conquest of Khaybar.
The Masjid had come to some disrepair so Rasūlullāh  ordered it to be rebuilt.

Before the Masjid was just under 100 gaz wide and long, now it was just over.

In Mu’jam Tabrāni, it mentions that when Rasūlullāh  made intention to rebuild it a

second time, there was some land next to it which belonged to an Anṣāri. Rasūlullāh 
asked him if he would like to sell the land to him for a palace in Jannah. Due to his circumstances,
the Anṣāri was not able to give the land to Rasūlullāh .

ꜤUthmān  then purchased the land for 10,000 dirhams and said to Rasūlullāh . The
land which you wanted to purchase from the Anṣāri for a palace in Jannah, please purchase it
from me. Rasūlullāh  purchased the land from ꜤUthmān  for a palace in Jannah
and included it in the Masjid.

The first brick was then laid by Rasūlullāh  then by his command, Abu Bakr , then
ꜤUmar , then ꜤUthmān  then ꜤAlī . In the Musnad of Imam Aḥmed, Abu
Hurayrah  narrates that Rasūlullāh  was also lifting the bricks with the Saḥābah
. On one occasion I was in front of him and saw that Rasūlullāh  was carrying lots
of bricks and he was supporting them against his blessed chest. I thought that he was doing this
due to the weight so I said to Rasūlullāh , give me the bricks.

Rasūlullāh  said, Oh Abu Hurayrah, pick up some other bricks, there is no life except the
life of the hereafter.

Slide 29 – Phase 2 – 7TH Year of Hijri

Now the Maroon rectangle shows us where the original Masjid was

Slide 30 - Zoom

The Yellow rectangle behind it shows approximately how big the Masjid was extended to

You can see where the green dome is which shows the location where Rasūlullāh  is
buried.

Slide 31 – Phase 3 - Majid Nabwī – 17th Hijrih

During the time of Abu Bakr , there was no change in the Masjid. Some of the pillars which
had been made from date palm trunks were replaced when they needed to be.
During the time of ꜤUmar , in the 17th year Hijri, the Masjid was extended from the Qiblah
side and from the western side.

Due to the dwellings of the wives of Rasūlullāh  being on the Eastern Side, these were
left alone and the Masjid was not extended on that side. ꜤUmar  only extended the Masjid,
there was no change in the simplicity of the Masjid. The walls were still made from unbaked
bricks, the pillars were still date palms and the roof was covered with date palms leaves and
branches.

Slide 32 – Phase 3 Plan View

The Pink rectangle shows approximately the increase in size of the Masjid during ꜤUmar 
time. As you can see, Rasūlullāh  dwellings were left as they were.

Slide 33 – Phase 4 – 29th Hijri

During the time of ꜤUthmān , the Masjid was extended again.

The unbaked bricks were replaced by Stone

And the date palm trunk pillars were also replaced by Stone pillars.

The roof was also replaced. The building work started in the month of RabīꜤ Al-Awwal in the 29th
year of Hijrah and was completed in Muḥarram in the 30th year. It took 10 months in total to build
the Masjid.

Slide 34 – Phase 4 Plan view

You can see from the light blue rectangle, how much the Masjid was approximately extended to
during the time of ꜤUthmān .

Slide 35 – Comparison & Phase 5

You can now see the size of the Masjid during the time of the Khulafā Rāshidīn in comparison to
the present day Masjid

After the passing of the Mothers of the believers, Al-Walīd bin ꜤAbdul Mālik (who became the
Caliph in 705, just over 70 years after Rasūlullāh  passed away) ordered that the
dwellings of the mothers, to become part of the Masjid.

When this command came, upon hearing this news, the people in Madīnah became very upset.
Abu Umāmah, Sahl bin Hanīf used to say, if only these dwellings were left as they were, so people
could see how Rasūlullāh , who had been given the keys to all the treasures on the earth
from Allāh , the type of rooms and shacks he used to live in.

The Orange Rectangle shows the area of the Masjid in this phase

Slide 36 – Phase 6 Muḥammad Al-Mahdi Al-Abbāsi

During the Caliphate of Muḥammad Al-Mahdi Al-Abbāsi, the Masjid was further extended.

In 161H the Calipha Al-Mahdi went to Medina after completing Ḥajj. He made JaꜤfar bin Sulaymān
the governor of the city and ordered him to extend the Masjid.

The Dark Blue rectangle shows how much the Masjid was extended by.

Slide 37 – Phase 7 – ꜤAbdul Mājid Uthmāni

During the Reign of ꜤAbdul Mājid Uthmāni who was the Caliph of the Ottoman Empire, in the year
1849, they started to rebuild the Masjid. The Masjid was expanded again as you can see by the
turquoise area.

In 1382 H, the Masjid was expanded again by the Saudi authorities. This can be seen by the Dark
Green Area.

Slide 38 – Phase 9 – Fahd bin ꜤAbdul Azīz

The Final expansion was completed in 1992 during the rule of King Fahd bin ꜤAbdul Azīz.

The Masjid was now 1.7 million square feet in size.

Slide 39 – Future Expansion Plans

There are currently plans to expand the Masjid even further, the following slide shows the plans
for the new extension. The front part of the Masjid is the existing Masjid.

The New Masjid will have a capacity for 1.6 million people.

Slide 40 - The Riyaḍul Jannah

Now there is a Ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhāri where Rasūlullāh  said, whatever is between
my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Jannah, and my pulpit is on my fountain.

Slide 41 - Zoom

If a person goes there now, they will see a green carpet on the floor. In this slide you can see
where the Minbar is on the right and the Miḥrāb (prayer niche) on the left
Slide 43 – The Rawḍah

This is where Rasūlullāh  is buried

When you go to Masjid Nabwī, when you go to present Salām, you go past 3 sets of doors, there
are 3 holes in middle set of doors. Some people think that Rasūlullāh  is buried behind
the first hole and then Abu Bakr  behind the second and ꜤUmar  behind the third.
There are others who say that all three are buried behind the first hole. Allāh  knows
best.

Slide 41 – Plan view

Now what is behind these doors?

The black line at the top shows where the doors are and the yellow circles denote the viewing
holes.

Rasūlullāh  was buried in ꜤĀ’ishah  house, and this square shows the location of
her house.

Rasūlullāh  is buried closest to the doors

Then Abu Bakr 

And then ꜤUmar .

A wall was made later by ꜤUmar bin ꜤAbdul Azīz  surrounding the Rawḍah in 91 Hijrah.
According to some sources these walls are 7 metres high and covered by a cloth.

The bottom part of the wall meets the location of where Faṭimah  house used to be.

Slide 42 – Green Dome

Now the green dome of Masjid Nabwī is directly above the Rawḍah.

Slide 43

Let’s have a quick look at the history of the green dome. Initially the roof of the Rawḍah was
covered with bricks. There was no dome. This was so that it could be distinguished from the rest
of the Masjid. If someone was walking on top of the Masjid then they would know where it was.
A dome was then built in 678H by Sultan Mansūr Qalaon over the Rawḍah, this was known as the
outer dome. The dome was covered in lead to make sure that water would not get inside. The
colour of the dome was also the colour of the lead.

In the year 881H the brick roof of the Rawḍah was replaced by a small inner dome by Sultan
Ashraf Qaiṭābi. The dome is made from black stone at the base and white stone at the top.

In 1253H, Sultan Mahmūd Uthmāni ordered the dome to be coloured green. So the dome has only
been coloured green for less than 200 years. It is repainted as and when the need arises.

Slide 46 – The Sacred Chamber

Now let’s look at the sacred chamber in a bit more detail.

The green line at the bottom shows the ground and the grey line shows the timber ceiling. The
timber is 6.0 metres from the ground level.

You can also see the inner dome which was built by Sultan Ashraf Qaiṭābi. It has a small window
in it. This stands at a height of 8.2 m.

The black walls are the perpendicular walls which were made by ꜤUmar bin ꜤAbdul Azīz .

Slide 47 – Internal Room

The brown columns show the pillars which hold the outer dome.

This also has a window in it and stands at a height of 28 metres from the ground. There is a brass
crescent on the top which is also 3 metres high.

Slide 48 – The Plot

Now there were many plots to try and remove Rasūlullāh  body from his grave and I just
wanted to mention one attempt which is reported by Samhoudi which resulted in steps being
taken by the Sulṭān of the time to prevent any such attempts from happening again.

It was the year 557H which was 1164 in the Western Calendar. Nūruddin Zengi was the ruler of
Egypt at the time and he saw a dream, 3 times in which Rasūlullāh  was pointing at two
people who had a reddish complexion. Nūruddin informed his advisor at the time whose name
was Jamāluddīn and he advised Nūruddin to go to Madīnah.

The following day 20 people left for Madīnah carrying gifts for charity. 16 days later they reached
there and Nūruddin entered the Masjid, read Ṣalāt and presented his Salāms. He was then
thinking what I should do. His advisor Jamāluddīn then made an announcement that the Sulṭān
has brought gifts for everyone.

All the people came and the gifts were given out, but Nūruddin did not see the 2 people who he
saw in the dream. He asked if this was everyone. He was then told there are 2 Moroccans who are
very pious. They do not accept gifts from anyone, they fast during the day, read Tahajjud at
night, present Salutations to Rasūlullāh  and even go to Masjid Qubā’.

Nūruddīn sent for them. When they arrived, he recognised them. He asked them where are they
from. They said we are Moroccans and came for the Ḥajj and wished to stay here as neighbours of
Rasūlullāh .

Nūruddīn told them to speak the truth, they kept quiet and then he asked about where they live.
He accompanied them to their house and saw many expensive gifts lying around. He then moved
an old piece of rug and saw a tunnel. This tunnel led to the blessed grave of Rasūlullāh .

When the tunnel was found, the men confessed to their crime. They were actually Nasāra who
had been sent by their king. They had been given a lot of money to remove the body of Rasūlullāh
. In order to achieve their goal, they started to live close to the Rawḍah and dig the
tunnel at night time. They would then carry the mud in bags to the BaqīꜤ cemetery and spread it
over the graves.

They said, when they reached the grave a very fearful lightning struck and an earthquake shook
the earth. Nūruddīn then ordered both of the men to be executed.

In order to prevent this from happening again, Nūruddīn ordered a deep trench to be dug around
the Rawḍah and this trench was then filled with molten lead so no one can ever try to dig through
to it ever again.

Slide 49 – The Pillars

Now if we look at Masjid Nabwī today, there are many pillars inside Riyāḍul Jannah which have a
lot of significance. This slide shows an overview of the area present day.

This is where the present day Miḥrāb is.

The area within the green lines is Riyāḍul Jannah.

The pillars of significance are marked in Gold.

Now let’s take a look at the pillars one at time. This information has been taken from Maulāna
Saleem Dhorat Sahebs book Ziyarat of Madīnah.

1. Ustuwānah Mukhallaq (Ḥannānah)

At the front of the area, you will see area which used to be the Musallah of Rasūlullāh .

And to the right of there is Ustuwānah Mukhallaq (Ḥannānah)

Slide 50 Zoom

This is also called the Ustuwānah Hannānah (the weeping pillar). This is the most blessed of the
pillars for this was Rasūlullāh  place of Ṣalāt. On this spot there once used to grow a date
palm.

Before the advent of the mimbar, Rasūlullāh used to lean on it while delivering the
khuṭbah (sermon). When the mimbar was made Rasūlullāh used it for the khutbah. It so
happened when the change took place, such a bitter sound of weeping was heard from the tree
that the whole Masjid echoed; and those in the Masjid started weeping. Rasūlullāh then
went to the tree, placed his hand on it and the crying stopped. Rasūlullāh then said:

“The tree cries because the dhikr of Allāh  was near it, and now that the mimbar is built it
has been deprived of this dhikr in its immediate vicinity. If I did not place my hand on it, it would
have cried thus till the Day of Qiyāmah.”

Afterwards the tree dried up and was buried.

According to another Ḥadīth it is said that when the mimbar was prepared and Rasūlullāh
went to it for the first time, the tree cried so loudly that it almost split open. Rasūlullāh
descended from the mimbar and went to put his hand on the tree and its crying
subsided gradually as a child quietens when he is being consoled after crying bitterly.

This is the reason for it being called Ustuwānah Hannānah. The word hannānah is used to
describe a crying camel. Mukhallaq means the pillar which has a blended fragrance put onto it.

Slide 51 – Plan View

Now to the left side of the area adjacent to the wall of the Rawḍah, we have Ustuwānah Sarīr

Slide 52 – Zoom
‘Sarīr’ means sleeping place. It is reported that Rasūlullāh used to make i‘tikāf here also,
and used to sleep here while in i‘tikāf. A platform of wood used to be put here for him to sleep on.

Slide 53 – Plan View

1. And just to the right of that we Ustuwānah Abū Lubābah or Ustuwānah Tawbah.

Slide 54 – Zoom

Abu Lubābah  was one of the famous Sahābah . During the battle against the Banū
Qurayzah, while the Muslims were surrounding them, he became impatient and as a result of
which he wanted to throw down his arms. Before Islām, he had much dealings with the Jews of
Banu Qurayzah. Now after the Jews acted treacherously against the Muslims, the Jews called on
him during the siege in order to find out from him what Rasūlullāh intended to do
against them for their treachery.

When he reached them they all began wailing and crying. He was affected by this and he
indicated towards his throat suggesting they would be killed. Thereafter having done that he
became so grieved at this indiscretion that he could not rest.

He thereupon came to the Masjid and here at this spot where a date-tree used to stand, he bound
himself to the trunk saying: “As long as my repentance is not accepted by Allāh, I shall
not untie myself from here. And Rasūlullāh himself must undo my bonds.” When
Rasūlullāh heard this he said: “If he had come to me I would have begged forgiveness
on his behalf. Now he had acted on his own initiative, so how can I untie him until such a time
that his repentance has been accepted.”

For many days he remained tied there, except for Ṣalāt and the call of nature. At such times his
wife and daughter used to untie him and then again tied him to the tree. He remained without
food and drink as a result of which his sight and hearing were affected. Then after a few days one
morning while Rasūlullāh was in tahajjud prayer in the house of Umme Salamah ,
he received the good news that his tawbah had been accepted. The Sahaabah conveyed the
news to him, and wanted to untie him but he refused, saying: “As long as Rasūlullāh 
does not untie me with his blessed hands, I shall not allow anyone else to do so.” When Rasūlullāh
entered for Fajr Salaat he untied him.

Slide 55 – Plan View

1. And just to the right of that we have Ustuwānah ‘Ā’ishah

Slide 56 Zoom
This is also called the Ustuwānah Muhajirīn, because originally the Muhājirīn used to sit near this
spot. Rasūlullāh used to say his prayers here and afterwards moved to the place at
Ustuwānah Mukhallaq. It is also called the Ustuwānah Qur’ah. The reason for this is that ‘Ā’ishah
 reports that Rasūlullāh said: “In this Masjid is one such spot that if people knew
the true blessed nature thereof, they would flock towards it in such that to pray there they would
have to cast such lots (i.e. Qur’ah).”

People asked her to point out the exact spot which she refused to do. Later on, at the persistence
of ꜤAbdullāh Ibn Zubayr  she pointed to this spot. Hence it is called Ustuwānah ‘Ā’ishah,
because the Ḥadīth is reported by her and the exact spot was shown by her. It is a fact that Abu
Bakr  and Umar  very often used to pray here.

Slide 57 - Plan View

1. Just below Ustuwānah Sarīr, there is Ustuwānah ꜤAlī

Slide 58 – Zoom

Also known as Ustuwānah Mah’ras or Hars. ‘Hars’ means to watch or protect. This used to be the
place where some of the Ṣaḥābah  used to sit when keeping watch or acting as gatekeepers.
ꜤAlī  used to be the one who mostly acted as such, for which it is often called Ustuwānah ꜤAlī
. When Rasūlullāh entered the Masjid from the doorꜤ of ‘Ā’ishah  room, he
passed this spot.

Slide 59 – Plan View

Then below that we have Ustuwānah Wufūd

Slide 60 - Zoom

‘Wufūd’ means delegations. Whenever deputations arrived to meet Rasūlullāh on

behalf of their tribes, they were seated here and here he used to meet them, conversed with them
and taught them Dīn.

Slide 61

Then hidden away behind the wall we have Ustuwānah Tahajjud

Slide 62 – Zoom

It is reported that this was the spot where late at night a carpet was spread for Rasūlullāh
to perform tahajjud prayer, after all the people had left.
Slide 63 – Plan View

8. Ustuwānah Jibrīl

In this area there is also Ustuwānah Jibrīl. This is hidden behind the wall so we cannot see it.

This was the usual place where Jibrīl used to enter to visit Rasūlullāh 

These are eight special spots mentioned by the ꜤUlamā. However, what part of the Masjid is there
where the holy feet of Rasūlullāh  did not touch or where he and the Ṣaḥābah
did not say their prayers? In fact what part of Madīnah is there where these saintly souls
did not tread?

Every step taken in Madīnah is a “step on holy ground”.

Slide 64 – Summary 1

Many of the family and the companions of Rasūlullāh  are buried in Jannatul BaqiꜤ.

In this slide you can see a plan view of the blessed resting place. The entrance is to the right hand
side.

Slide 65 – The Old Baqī

In the past there were actual tombs in Baqī marking the resting places of many of the
companions. These tombs were levelled in 1925 or 1926. In this slide you can see an old picture of
tombs of Baqī. The large tomb is where the family of Rasūlullāh  are buried . The tomb
labelled number 10 at the back is where Sayyidina ꜤUthmān Ibn Affān  is laid to rest

Slide 66 – Zoom

You will walk through the main entrance and to the right is the area for the Ahlul Bayt, the
family of Rasūlullāh .

Slide 67 - Area 1

1. In this area, member of the family of Rasūlullāh  are laid to rest. This includes:

Faṭemah  Abbās  Hasan ibn ꜤAlī 

Zaynul ꜤĀbidīn (son of Husayn , survived Karbala and came back to Madīnah)

Muḥammad Bāqir (son of Zaynul ꜤĀbidīn) JaꜤfar As-Ṣādiq (son of Muḥammad Bāqir)

Slide 68 – Area 2
 2. In this area the daughters of Rasūlullāh  are laid to rest:

Zaynab  Ruqayyah  Umme Kulthūm 

Slide 69 – Area 3 - 6

3. In this area the wives of Rasūlullāh  are laid to rest:

Zaynab bint Khuzaymah  Zaynab bint Jahsh  Sawdah 

Ḥafsah  Umme Ḥabībah  Ṣafiyyah 

Juwayriyyah  ‘Ā’ishah  Umma Salamah 

4. In this area the following companions are laid to read:

Aqīl ibn Abī Ṭālib  Abu Sufyān ibn Ḥārith  ꜤAbdullāh ibn JaꜤfar 

In this area:

5. Imām Mālik  and his teasher NafeꜤ  are laid to rest

6. In this area, the son of Rasūlullāh , Ibrāhīm  is laid to rest. He was the son
of Māriya Qibṭiyah

The following are also buried in an unmarked area close to Ibrāhīm 

SaꜤad Ibn Abi Waqqās  ꜤAbdur Raḥmān Ibne Awf 

ꜤUthmān Ibne Maẓ’ūn  ꜤAbdullāh Ibne MasꜤūd 

AsꜤad Ibn Zurārah 

Slide 70 - Ṣafiyyah 

To the left hand side of the main enatrace, the aunt of Rasūlullāh  , Ṣafiyyah  is
laid to rest

Slide 71 - Harrah

Now if you carry on walking on the main path towards the back of BaqīꜤ, on the left hand side you
will see where the Martyrs of the Battle of Harrah are laid to rest.

Slide 72 - ꜤUthmān Ibn Affān 

You then carry on walking down the main path and at the second intersection you will see where
Amīrul Mu’minīn, ꜤUthmān Ibn Affān  is laid to rest.
Just to the left you will see where the wet nurse of Rasūlullāh , Ḥalīmah  is laid to
rest.

Slide 73 - Abu SaꜤīd Al-Khudri 

If you then carry on forward and turn left and then right, you will see the are where the
companion of Rasūlullāh , Abu SaꜤīd Al-Khudri  is laid to rest

Slide 74 – Overview

You have to remember there are thousands of the companions of Rasūlullāh  buried
here. There are also many of our pious predecessors, the lucky ones who have been blessed.
When we go to BaqīꜤ, we should pray for them, send them some esāle thawāb

Slide 75 – Summary 1

Alḥamdulillah we covered the whole history of Masjid Nabwī today.

The land was purchased from 2 orphans of the the Bani Najjar.

The land was cleared and a masjid was built.

Dwellings where also built for the family of the Prophet SAW.

We showed the locations of these dwelling talked about the Ashaab Ṣuffah

Slide 76 – Summary 2

We then talked about how the direction of the Qiblah was changed so this meant the mihrab and
doors were altered.

We then went through all of the phases of the expansion of Majid Nabwī.

We then talked about the Rawḍah in detail and a brief history of the green dome including
discussing the plot to take the Prophet SAW blessed body and how Nuruddin Zengi saw a dream
and then found the perpetrators. He also ordered lead trenches to be dug to prevent this from
happening again.

We finally went through the significance of the pillars in the Rawḍah and the locations of the
graves of many of the family and companions of Rasūlullāḥ